Amphenol Alden Products is proud to help the 2007 Medical Design Excellence Award winning BRRX HALO360 fight esophageal cancer -- one of the fastest growing and most fatal cancers in the United States. The innovative HALO360 delivers targeted bursts of powerful current to pre-cancerous esophageal tissue through a simple endoscopic outpatient procedure. This revolutionary new therapy has been proven to prevent the development of esophageal cancer in over 98% of patients.
The HALO360 system features a balloon catheter surrounded by specialized radio frequency electrodes. Once positioned within the esophagus, the HALO360 operator uses a foot pedal to
inflate the balloon catheter and bring its RF electrodes into contact with the diseased tissue. The HALO360 generator delivers quick bursts of energy to the catheters' electrodes, killing
the diseased tissue. The pre-cancerous cells killed by the procedure slough harmlessly off the esophageal walls and the body replaces them with healthy tissue.
BRRX designers tapped Amphenol Alden to design the lightweight, easy-to-use and use-limited HALO360 handpiece. Amphenol Alden engineers designed an integrated connector and cable assembly
that delivers ruggedness, assuredness and safety. The Halo's unique handpiece seamlessly pairs a rugged cable assembly to an overmolded version of Alden's proprietary Pulse-Lok auto-latch
circular connector. A miniature programmable e-prom chip and custom printed circuit board embedded in the Pulse-Lok connector housing detects the number of handpiece uses and
electronically disables the handpiece after its specified number of uses is reached. This intelligent connector technology ensures that the handpiece is only used for one ablation
procedure. The Pulse-Lok connector also provides the operator audible and tactile confirmation that the cable and handpiece is fully engaged.
"We are happy we could help bring this therapy to market," says Chris Behning of Amphenol Alden. "I think we're at our best when we collaborate with our customers to develop hybrid cable
and connector solutions like this one that combine voltage and signal in a compact, cost effective package," Behning continues.
For additional information about Amphenol Alden connector and cable assembly solutions please contact Chris Behning or visit www.barrx.com.